Trinidad PM: Curfew in 17 hot spots stays
Trinidad Guardian – October 7, 2011 – By Gail Alexander
Kamla Persad-Bissesar
The state of emergency in T&T and the curfew in 17 “hot spot” areas will continue unchanged until the security forces advise otherwise, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissesar said yesterday. She confirmed that after Cabinet was updated yesterday on the situation by heads of the Police Service, Defence Force and other agencies. “I have been advised that the murder rate has now dropped to the lowest in a decade,” Persad-Bissessar added. When the emergency was announced on August 21, Government mandated a 9 pm to 5 am curfew in six “hot spots” within regional corporation boundaries. It comprised areas in Port-of-Spain, San Fernando, Arima, Diego Martin, Chaguanas and San Juan/Laventille.
On September 4, when Government extended the emergency to December 5, the curfew was relaxed to 11 pm to 4 am. On September 13, Government increased the number of “hot spot” areas under curfew by 11, including the east, south and western coastline. Those areas included Toco, Carli Bay, Cedros, Moruga, Dow Village, McBean, Chase Village, Couva, Claxton Bay, Maloney, Windy Hill, Arouca and La Horquetta.
The curfew also was extended along 362 kilometres of local coastline within a radius of three nautical miles.
Government said the “hot spot” areas were increased, based on intelligence reports.
Yesterday, speaking during a break in the Cabinet meeting, Persad-Bissessar said Government had sought the advice of agency heads on whether to continue the emergency, the “hot spots” or if to change or continue existing curfew hours, to determine the way forward up to December 5. Persad-Bissessar cited the number of people held since the start of the emergency up to 6 am yesterday as 3,932. She also noted the number of firearms found during the emergency had brought the total for the year to 356. Persad-Bissessar also said $700 million-plus in drugs had been confiscated. She said she also had been advised that the murder rate had dropped to the lowest in ten years.
Persad-Bissesar said in the first month of the emergency there were 15 murders but that also meant there was a 70 per cent reduction in the number of murders recorded. A similar reduction in serious offences also was recorded during the emergency. she said. Persad-Bissessar added: “So this adds up and the security heads advised us that they wanted more time with the emergency and we have accepted their recommendation that the state of emergency continues. “They advised that they need the curfew hours as they are and to retain the existing curfew hours in the areas identified. “So the state of emergency continues until we are advised otherwise by the law enforcement officers and the curfew hours and areas within which the curfew operates will continue until further advice,”
Persad-Bissessar said Government would continue to review the issue from time-to-time and would be guided by the advice of those doing the field work. She added: “They have said they are able to achieve far more with the state of emergency than they would have been able to achieve prior to the state of emergency.
“They see it as a valuable tool in the arsenal in the fight against crime.” Perad-Bissessar said Government also estimated it had lost $1.5 billion in the illegal fuel-bunkering trade. She said seizures in that area especially were very important for the Treasury. “We could well use that $1.5 billion for schools and hospitals and to build roads and drainage,” she added.
Persad-Bissessar said the security teams were implementing measures to contain criminal activity when the state of emergency ended. Tourism Minister Rupert Griffith said he did not think next year’s Carnival would be affected by the emergency. Persad-Bissessar said the emergency had allowed Government to form a Joint Operations Committee, comprising all security agencies and Customs, where information was shared in a co-ordinated approach. “The agencies believe it is a far superior situation than we had before the state of emergency,” she added. Persad-Bissessar also said the prayers and well wishes from the public on her recent illness “worked.”
Total held from August 21 to date: — 3,932:
449 — gang-related offences;
745 — drug offences;
200 — other offences;
769 — on serious offences;
57 — on homicide investigations;
218 — curfew breaches;
418 — on inquiries;
791 — traffic offences;
12,453 rounds of ammunition, 29 magazines seized;
125 firearms seized up to yesterday; and
1,076 held on outstanding warrants.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/10/07/pm-curfew-17-hot-spots-stays
